Ottawa Senators after the Brady Tkachuk trade: What changes this season

Life after Brady Tkachuk will fundamentally change the look and feel of the Ottawa Senators organization - on and off the ice. 

In June, Tkachuk, who had served as the spirited captain for the past five seasons and was the long-time poster boy for the franchise, was granted his wish to be traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join his older brother, Matthew. A proud American, Tkachuk was caught in the middle of political tensions between Canada and the United States, and the resulting rise in anti-U.S. sentiment. 

Indeed, times change, and the Senators were forced to change with them. 

In his eight seasons with the Senators, Tkachuk scored 213 goals and 250 assists in 572 games and was a dominating physical presence. 

Replacing him is a colossal challenge, but the consolation for the Senators is that they have a history of surviving, even thriving, after dealing away former stars. That group includes Alexei Yashin, Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher, Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson. 

What did the Senators get for trading Tkachuk?

The Tkachuk trade yielded the Senators four top draft picks, one of which Senators’ general manager Steve Staois subsequently flipped to the San Jose Sharks for speedy 23-year-old left winger William Eklund. Andre Burakovsky, a Swedish 12-year NHL veteran forward whose father Robert played 23 games with the Senators in the 1993-94 season, was also acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

It’s a new dynamic, of course, but the restructured Senators are optimistic about making the NHL playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Senators are also itchy to advance deeper into the post season after being swept out of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes in the spring. 

Centre Tim Stutzle and defenceman Jake Sanderson have developed into elite NHL stars and figure to become even more prominent with Tkachuk gone. 

“Brady was a big personality, but I have zero concerns,” Senators president Cyril Leeder told CAA Magazine. “The identity will find itself. It will be a different team. Not so much about the one superstar. More about the team.” 

Leeder, one of the club’s founders, has lived through all the stages of the franchise, watching stars get traded for a variety of reasons. At least some of the blockbusters have yielded strong future results. 

In 2001, the Senators landed stars Spezza and Zdeno Chara after trading away Yashin to the New York Islanders. The return from the 2018 trade that sent Karlsson to San Jose ultimately included Stutzle and Josh Norris. The other deals didn’t work out quite as well. Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo joined the Senators organization from San Jose in the Heatley swap. Stefan Noesen came to the Senators from the Nashville Predators in the Fisher trade, and Nick Paul arrived from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Spezza. 

Off the ice: replacing Tkachuk's community presence 

Leeder acknowledges that it will take some time for the current crop of players to step into the off-ice void left by Tkachuk, who was a fixture in the club’s charitable efforts. 

“Brady was a big advocate for the community,” said Leeder. “He and his wife, Emma, were really involved, especially with the Boys and Girls Club. We will miss that. We need to replace that personality, but we’ve got other guys that will step forward, as other guys have in the past.” 

Leeder says Senators owner Michael Andlauer met with the players after the 2025-26 season, urging them to improve their charitable presence in the community. 

There’s also history here. Leeder remembers back in 2010, when the Senators traded Fisher to Nashville so that he could be closer to his wife, country music star Carrie Underwood. Like Tkachuk, Fisher had been a fixture in the city. At that point, rugged winger Chris Neil adopted a larger community presence, taking over Fisher’s role with Roger’s House. 

Peter Shier, the Senators vice-president of marketing, says he will “lean into” the community presence issue as the season develops. 

“Who can become the face of the franchise?” Shier said. “Do you spread it out a bit?” 

Shier isn’t keen on labelling the current situation as the post-Tkachuk Era. He prefers to think of it more as the continued evolution of the Andlauer years, putting a stamp of consistency on the organization following the snafu turmoil that existed under former owner Eugene Melnyk. 

What's new for fans at Senators games this season

The Senators have added a new “Fan Deck” in the 300 section of Canadian Tire Centre, allowing for a more social, casual viewing experience. The idea has proven popular at stadiums throughout North America, including Blue Jays games at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. 

The club has also adopted “The Hill We Choose” as a new slogan, aimed at selling the virtues of being a hockey fan in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, which, of course, also means being home to Parliament Hill. 

Get your tickets for this season 

CAA Members save big on tickets for select Ottawa Senators home games.